Game feel
by Steve Swink · first published 2008
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Focuses on the sensation of play: how responsiveness, physics feel, and game juice shape how controls feel to the player. Recommended for game designers and developers who want to go beyond realistic simulation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2021–2022Game Mechanics
Ernest Adams, Joris Dormans
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 21 recommend · 2 mention1 recommend · 21 recommend
2013–2022Advanced Game Design
Michael Sellers
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 53 recommend · 5 mention3 recommend · 53 recommend
2013–2026Designing Games
Tynan Sylvester
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 1815 recommend · 18 mention15 recommend · 1815 recommend
2010–2026The Art of Game Design
Jesse Schell
Recommended by 35 · mentioned by 4835 recommend · 48 mention35 recommend · 4835 recommend
2013–2026Game Design Workshop
Tracy Fullerton
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 86 recommend · 8 mention6 recommend · 86 recommend
2009–2026Designing Virtual Worlds
Richard Bartle
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 148 recommend · 14 mention8 recommend · 148 recommend
2009–2025Theory of Fun for Game Design
Raph Koster
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 1915 recommend · 19 mention15 recommend · 1915 recommend
2012–2026Game Programming Patterns
Robert Nystrom
Recommended by 120 · mentioned by 134120 recommend · 134 mention120 recommend · 134120 recommend
…other great literature on games that also discuss flow can be found in Jesse Schell's book (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Game-Design-book-lenses/dp/0123694...) or in Steve Swink's book (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Feel-Designers-Sensation-Kaufmann...). (edit: no coffee yet)
on “Flow in Games, Jenova Chen's MFA Thesis” ↗Successful implementations of game physics often has far less to do with realistic simulation and far more to do with sensation. For anybody interested in diving deep, pick up Game Feel by Steve Swink[0] [0] https://www.amazon.com/Game-Feel-Designers-Sensation-Kaufman...
on “An Examination of Physics in Video Games” ↗"Designing Games" by Tynan Sylvester (creator of Rimworld), and "Game Feel" by Steve Swink, are both more recent books about high-level game design concepts, though they don't specifically focus on world building.
on “Richard Bartle releases his classic “Designing Virtual Worlds” book for free” ↗For game design, any or all of these will easily be in most top lists: - Tracy Fullerton's Game Design Workshop - Jesse Schell's Art of Game Design A Book of Lenses - Steve Swink's Game Feel - Scott Rogers' Level Up - Skaff & others' Characteristics of Games - Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun - Joris Dormans & Ernest Adams' Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design This one was just published…
on “Deeper Than Pixels: A Reading List on Video Games” ↗Missing any Game Design books so my picks: Game Feel - Steve Swink - 2008 The Art of Game Design a Deck of Lenses - Jesse Schell - 2014 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School - Matthew Frederick - 2007 Writing for Games: Theory & Practice - Hannah…
on “Books for Game Developers” ↗…done, I -- the player -- will feel like that game is more reliable than the first TCP case. (Games, and real-time interfaces in general, have some interesting aspects that I think is well covered in Game Feel by Steve Swink).
on “UDP isn't unreliable, it's a convertible (2024)” ↗Check out “Game Feel: A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation” by Steve Swink. To some extent, responsiveness is a perception based on expectations derived from the visual and acoustical elements of a game. So on top…
on “Inputlag.science – Repository of knowledge about input lag in gaming” ↗…Jesse Schell Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, by Scott Rogers A Theory of Fun for Game Design, by Raph Koster Designing Games: A Guide to Engineering Experiences, by Tynan Sylvester Game Feel: A Game Designers Guide yo Virtual Sensation, by Steve Swink Designing Virtual Worlds, by Richard Bartle Here are a few more that I haven’t read and don’t own, so don’t know anything about them: Elements…
on “Foundations of Game Engine Development” ↗…that's colored by the end product and invariably focused on what went wrong/how to avoid it. Also it just looks gorgeous: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Prince-Persia-Journals-1985-19... [5] Steve Swink's Game Feel has been on my list of to-reads on the subject forever, but I've never gotten around to it: https://www.powells.com/book/game-feel-9780123743282 I bounced off Katie Salen/Eric Zimmerman's Rules of Play,…
on “Game Design Curriculum” ↗